United Methodist captures the power of the sun

By Paul Newendorp Special to the Trail-Gazette

Posted:
01/13/2011 03:38:05 PM MST

Workers use a crane to hoist solar panels to the roof of the United Methodist Church in Estes Park.

Work has been completed on the first phase of the installation of a solar photovoltaic (PV) system at the United Methodist Church on Fish Hatchery Road in Estes Park . The 40 solar panels recently placed are part of the 10Kw (kilowatt) portion of the system, and will generate about 60 percent of the annual electricity consumption of the church. The final portion of the system will be an additional 7Kw, to be installed within the next several years. The two phases together will generate enough electricity to supply the annual consumption needs of the church.

The effort to install solar on the church roof began in 2006, at a time when there were no grid-tied solar systems in Estes Park . The goal was to reduce the church`s carbon footprint by not using coal-generated electricity, as well as saving money in the years ahead on utility bills.

Solar panels are normally guaranteed for 25 years, and are designed to withstand 120 mph winds and 3/4-inch hail. Once installed, there is virtually no maintenance required. There exists public documentation that solar panels can continue producing electricity for as many as 45 years, so the church anticipates these panels should be in operation well after 25 years.

"Installation of a clean, renewable, non-polluting source of electricity represents a strong, ethical commitment of our Church`s stewardship towards living more sustainably on our planet," said Rev.

Advertisement

Donna Patterson, pastor of the Methodist church

The system is being installed by the solar installation firm of Burnham-Beck & Sun, of Ft. Collins . Design and technical oversight is being provided by Thomas Beck Architects of Estes Park.

Article Comments

We reserve the right to remove any comment that violates our ground rules, is spammy, NSFW, defamatory, rude, reckless to the community, etc.

We expect everyone to be respectful of other commenters. It's fine to have differences of opinion, but there's no need to act like a jerk.

Use your own words (don't copy and paste from elsewhere), be honest and don't pretend to be someone (or something) you're not.

Our commenting section is self-policing, so if you see a comment that violates our ground rules, flag it (mouse over to the far right of the commenter's name until you see the flag symbol and click that), then we'll review it.